Era: In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, when Jesus was born (Luke 1:5; Matthew 2:1)
Mary
The handmaid of the Lord who said, "Be it unto me according to thy word"
Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived in Nazareth of Galilee and was betrothed to Joseph, of the house of David, when the angel Gabriel told her that she would bring forth a son and call his name Jesus. She answered, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."
The Gospels show her in Bethlehem when Jesus is born, in the temple in Jerusalem, at the wedding in Cana and by the cross. After the ascension, she appears praying with the disciples. Christian traditions honour her in different ways; here we keep what the Bible says apart from what tradition adds.
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Reviewed by Jon J ·